1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the injection molding of decorative laminate panels. The invention further relates to a work surface for an appliance, for example, a portable clothes washer. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for insert injection molding a decorative laminate work surface for a portable clothes washer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Decorative laminates provide consumers with a highly resilient surface adapted for a wide variety of uses. Decorative laminates may be used alone or they may be bonded to a substrate to form a decorative laminate panel. The cost and durability of decorative laminate panels make them a popular choice in the manufacture of structures ranging from countertops to furniture.
In the past, attempts have been made to provide a decorative laminate panel useful as a work surface for a portable clothes washer. The durability of decorative laminates makes them an ideal choice for converting the upper surface of a portable clothes washer to a work surface. In addition, the aesthetically desirable appearance of decorative laminates (they may be selected to coordinate with the clothes washer or room cabinets) is a vast improvement over other surfaces that might be chosen for use as the work surface of a portable clothes washer.
It has, however, been found that the heat and moisture generated by portable clothes washers including a decorative laminate work surface often result in uncontrolled warpage and/or delamination of the decorative laminate from the underlying substrate. As anyone can well appreciate, this is highly undesirable.
In addition to the warpage and delamination problems associated with the use of decorative laminate panels in conjunction with portable clothes washers, the manufacture of panels offering preferred functional components often requires extensive machining. For example, these work surfaces are often used within the room as if they were an extension of a regular countertop. It, therefore, is advantageous to provide a lip around the circumference of the panel for preventing objects from rolling off the work surface.
The attachment of a decorative laminate panel to a clothes washer also presents a problem with regard to the fabrication of the underlying substrate. These work surfaces are commonly secured to the upper surface of the clothes washer by positioning various connecting members between the clothes washer and the decorative laminate panel. As with the formation of a retaining lip, the fabrication of a decorative laminate panel shaped and dimensioned to engage selected connecting members requires that the substrate be machined to accommodate the desired connecting members.
Considering the necessary machining associated with the fabrication of a preferred work surface for a portable clothes washer, as well as the limited volume of work surfaces manufactured for each of a variety of portable clothes washers, the mass production (for example, using line processing common in the manufacture of other types of decorative laminate products) of decorative laminate work surfaces for portable clothes washers is economically impractical. As such, these decorative laminate work surfaces must be semi-custom manufactured to fit various clothes washers; once again adding expense to the final product.
With the foregoing in mind, those skilled in the art will understand that a need currently exists for both a decorative laminate panel adapted for use as a work surface of a portable clothes washer and a method for manufacturing such a decorative laminate work surface. The present invention provides the desired decorative laminate work surface and a method for manufacturing the decorative laminate work surface.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an appliance work surface shaped and dimensioned for placement upon the upper surface of an appliance. The work surface includes a decorative laminate and an injection molded substrate bonded to the underside of the decorative laminate.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an appliance including a work surface secured to the upper surface thereof. The appliance includes an appliance body having an upper surface and a work surface coupled to the upper surface thereof. The work surface includes a decorative laminate and an injection molded substrate bonded to the underside of the decorative laminate.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an appliance including a coupling assembly securing a work surface to the upper surface thereof. The coupling assembly includes a track member secured to the upper surface of the appliance body. The track member includes first and second upwardly extending flanges defining a channel. The coupling assembly further includes a connecting member shaped and dimensioned for secure attachment within the channel defined by the upwardly extending flanges. The connecting member includes first and second expansion members which move outwardly as the connecting member is forced downwardly within the channel to securely couple the connecting member within the track member and to force the first and second upwardly extending flanges outwardly into engagement with an underside of the work surface such that the work surface is securely coupled to the track member.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for fabricating a decorative laminate work surface adapted for attachment to the upper surface of an appliance, wherein the decorative laminate work surface includes a decorative laminate layer and a substrate. The method is achieved by forming a decorative laminate of a predetermined size, placing the decorative laminate within a die cavity, injection molding the substrate within the die cavity while the decorative laminate remains within the die cavity to form a decorative laminate work surface and releasing the formed decorative laminate work surface from the die cavity.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain embodiments of the invention.